Jabrill Peppers Wins 2016 Paul Hornung Award
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville Sports Commission announced Wednesday that University of Michigan junior/sophomore Jabrill Peppers has been named the winner of the 2016 Paul Hornung Award, which is presented annually to the nation's most versatile college football player.
Peppers is the first Wolverines to win the Hornung Award. The other finalists for the award were Christian McCaffrey (Stanford), Adoree Jackson (USC) and Dede Westbrook (Oklahoma).
"Jabrill loves competition and has a relentless desire to be great," said Jim Harbaugh, U-M's J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach. "We are honored that Jabrill has been selected as the Paul Hornung Award winner, an achievement fitting of his versatility on the football field. Jabrill is explosive, aggressive, intelligent, and plays the game with great enthusiasm. He has always wanted what is best for the team and has been willing to accept any role that is asked of him. We are very proud of this achievement."
"It means a lot to me to win this award," said Jabrill. "You definitely want to do as much as possible, and you want to do it as well as you can. I think there are a lot of guys who could have won this award, so it's just a tremendous honor to be the winner and to represent the Paul Hornung Award. I'm just going to keep to trying to get better, keep working on my faults and do whatever I have to do to help my team."
A finalist for the Hornung Award last season, Peppers took his game to another level this season. He played an astounding 933 snaps during the 2016 campaign, logging 726 plays on defense, 53 plays on offense and 154 snaps on special teams. Peppers has seen the field at 15 different positions this fall.
Peppers has been one of the leaders on Michigan's top-ranked defense. He is tied for second on the team with a career-best 72 tackles this season. Peppers leads the team, ranks third in the Big Ten and No. 25 in the NCAA with 16 tackles for loss (1.3 avg.). He has also contributed four sacks, one interception and forced one fumble.
One of the nation's most dynamic returners, Peppers has 570 return yards. He has 21 punt returns for 310 yards and one touchdown; his 14.8-yard average per punt return ranks fourth nationally. In addition, Peppers has 10 kickoff returns for 260 yards (26.0 avg.).
On offense, Peppers has carried the football 27 times for 167 yards and three touchdowns and has two receptions.
He has collected considerable recognition for his achievements this fall. Peppers was All-Big Ten first team at linebacker and as a return specialist and is a finalist for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the conference's MVP. He became the first player in Big Ten history to win three individual awards, receiving the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year and the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year.
Peppers will be presented the Paul Hornung Trophy during the ESPNU Red Carpet Show prior to Home Depot College Football Awards Show held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Thursday (Dec. 8).
Peppers is the second player coached by Jim Harbaugh to win the honor, joining inaugural Hornung Award recipient Owen Marecic of Stanford (2010).
